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Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Review: ‘Nautilus' gives Capt. Nemo a swashbuckling origin story
Certain elements of Jules Verne's 1870 novel "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" have become a TV series, "Nautilus," on AMC, which picked up the show after Disney+, which ordered and completed it, let it drop. Created by James Dormer, it's not an adaptation but a prequel, or an origin story, as the comic book kids like to say, in which Nemo, not yet captain, sets sail in his submarine for the first time. Verne's imaginative fiction has inspired more and less faithful screen adaptations since the days of silent movies. (Georges Méliès 1902 "A Trip to the Moon," based partially on Verne's 1865 "From the Earth to the Moon," is accounted the first science-fiction film.) For a few midcentury years, perhaps inspired by the success of Disney's own "20,000 Leagues" - a film they continue to exploit in its theme parks - and Mike Todd's "Around the World in 80 Days," it was almost a cottage industry: "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "In Search of the Castaways," "Five Weeks in a Balloon." I grew up watching these films rerun on TV; they are corny and fun, as is "Nautilus," with fancier effects, anticorporate sentiments and people of color. We have seen Nemo played by James Mason, Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart, Ben Cross and Robert Ryan, but in "The Mysterious Island," Verne's sort-of sequel to "Twenty Thousand Leagues," he identified Nemo as an Indian prince, as he is shown here, played by Shazad Latif, deposed by an imperial power, his wife and child murdered. The character is usually a bit of a madman, and this Nemo - pigheaded, bossy - is not wholly an exception, though he is also a young, smoldering, swashbuckling hero and a man more sinned against than sinning. We meet him as a prisoner of the British East India Mercantile Company, "the most powerful corporation to ever exist, more powerful than any country," which is building the Nautilus in India with slave labor, in pursuit, says villainous company director Crawley (Damien Garvey), of "prying open and exploiting the Chinese market." I'm not sure how a submarine is supposed to do that, but, eh, it's a reason. Nemo has been collaborating with the submarine's inventor, Gustave Benoit (Thierry Frémont), who had accepted the corporation's money under the promise that it would be used for exploration - scientists can be so dense. Nemo, whom the professor credits as the mind behind the ship's engine, has his own use for the Nautilus and executes a hasty escape with a half-random crew of fellow inmates in a deftly staged sequence that borrows heavily from "Indiana Jones," an inspirational well to which the series returns throughout. And we're off. On the agenda: escaping, revenge and finding buried treasure to finance revenge. When the Nautilus, hardly on its way, cripples the ship they're traveling on - under the impression that the sub is under attack - the crew is joined, unwillingly, by Humility Lucas (Georgia Flood), a science-minded British socialite with super engineering skills, who is being packed off to Bombay to marry the abominable Lord Pitt (Cameron Cuffe). She's accompanied by a chaperone/warder, Loti (Céline Menville), a Frenchwoman who has a mean way with a dagger, and cabin boy Blaster (Kayden Price). And a little dog too. Sparks obviously will fly between Nemo and Humility - bad sparks, then good sparks, as in an Astaire and Rogers movie - and there are actual sparks from a bad electrical connection Humility works out how to fix. Apart from Benoit, Humility and Loti, a big fellow named Jiacomo (Andrew Shaw), who hails from nobody knows where and speaks a language no one understands, and a British stowaway, the crew of the Nautilus are all people of color - South Asian, Asian, Middle Eastern, African or Pacific Islander. Few are really developed as characters, but the actors give them life, and the supporting players carry the comedy, of which there's a good deal. One episode inverts the tired old scenario in which white explorers are threatened with death by dark-skinned natives; here, the captors are Nordic warrior women. The show is anticolonial and anti-imperialist in a way that "Star Wars" taught audiences to recognize, if not necessarily recognize in the world around them, and anticapitalist in a way that movies have most always been. (The final episode, which has a financial theme, is titled "Too Big to Fail." It is quite absurd.) It can be slow at times, which is not inappropriate to a show that takes place largely underwater. But that its structure is essentially episodic keeps "Nautilus" colorful and more interesting than if it were simply stretched on the rack of a long arc across its 10 episodes. It's a lot like (pre-streaming) "Star Trek," which is, after all, a naval metaphor, its crew sailing through a hostile environment encountering a variety of monsters and cultures week to week; indeed, there are some similar storylines: the crew infected by a mystery spore, the ship threatened by tiny beasties and giant monsters, encounters with a tinpot dictator and semimythological figures - all the while being pursued by a Klingon Bird of Prey, sorry, a giant metal warship. The greatest hits of underwater adventuring (some from Verne's novel) are covered: volcanoes, giant squid, giant eel, engine trouble, running out of air and the ruins of a lost civilization (Is it Atlantis? Benoit hopes so). Less common: a cricket match on the ice. Apart from a pod of whales outside the window (and, later, a whale rescue), not a lot of time is devoted to the wonders of the sea - the special effects budget, which has in other respects been spent lavishly, apparently had no room left for schools of fish. But these submariners have other things on their minds. The odds of a second season, says my cloudy crystal ball, are limited, so you may have to accommodate a few minor cliffhangers if you decide to watch. I did not at all regret the time I spent here, even though I sometimes had no idea what was going on or found it ridiculous when I did, as there was usually some stimulating activity or bit of scenery or detail of steampunk design to enjoy. I mean, I watched an episode of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" recently, a 1960s submarine series, in which guest star John Cassavetes created a superbomb that could destroy three-quarters of the world, and almost nothing in it made any sense at all, including the presence of John Cassavetes. "Nautilus" is actually good. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
‘Nautilus' gives Capt. Nemo a swashbuckling origin story
Certain elements of Jules Verne's 1870 novel 'Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea' have become a TV series, 'Nautilus,' premiering Sunday on AMC, which picked up the show after Disney+, which ordered and completed it, let it drop. Created by James Dormer, it's not an adaptation but a prequel, or an origin story, as the comic book kids like to say, in which Nemo, not yet captain, sets sail in his submarine for the first time. Verne's imaginative fiction has inspired more and less faithful screen adaptations since the days of silent movies. (Georges Méliès 1902 'A Trip to the Moon,' based partially on Verne's 1865 'From the Earth to the Moon,' is accounted the first science-fiction film.) For a few midcentury years, perhaps inspired by the success of Disney's own '20,000 Leagues' — a film they continue to exploit in its theme parks — and Mike Todd's 'Around the World in 80 Days,' it was almost a cottage industry: 'Journey to the Center of the Earth,' 'In Search of the Castaways,' 'Five Weeks in a Balloon.' I grew up watching these films rerun on TV; they are corny and fun, as is 'Nautilus,' with fancier effects, anticorporate sentiments and people of color. We have seen Nemo played by James Mason, Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart, Ben Cross and Robert Ryan, but in 'The Mysterious Island,' Verne's sort-of sequel to 'Twenty Thousand Leagues,' he identified Nemo as an Indian prince, as he is shown here, played by Shazad Latif, deposed by an imperial power, his wife and child murdered. The character is usually a bit of a madman, and this Nemo — pigheaded, bossy — is not wholly an exception, though he is also a young, smoldering, swashbuckling hero and a man more sinned against than sinning. We meet him as a prisoner of the British East India Mercantile Company, 'the most powerful corporation to ever exist, more powerful than any country,' which is building the Nautilus in India with slave labor, in pursuit, says villainous company director Crawley (Damien Garvey), of 'prying open and exploiting the Chinese market.' I'm not sure how a submarine is supposed to do that, but, eh, it's a reason. Nemo has been collaborating with the submarine's inventor, Gustave Benoit (Thierry Frémont), who had accepted the corporation's money under the promise that it would be used for exploration — scientists can be so dense. Nemo, whom the professor credits as the mind behind the ship's engine, has his own use for the Nautilus and executes a hasty escape with a half-random crew of fellow inmates in a deftly staged sequence that borrows heavily from 'Indiana Jones,' an inspirational well to which the series returns throughout. And we're off. On the agenda: escaping, revenge and finding buried treasure to finance revenge. When the Nautilus, hardly on its way, cripples the ship they're traveling on — under the impression that the sub is under attack — the crew is joined, unwillingly, by Humility Lucas (Georgia Flood), a science-minded British socialite with super engineering skills, who is being packed off to Bombay to marry the abominable Lord Pitt (Cameron Cuffe). She's accompanied by a chaperone/warder, Loti (Céline Menville), a Frenchwoman who has a mean way with a dagger, and cabin boy Blaster (Kayden Price). And a little dog too. Sparks obviously will fly between Nemo and Humility — bad sparks, then good sparks, as in an Astaire and Rogers movie — and there are actual sparks from a bad electrical connection Humility works out how to fix. Apart from Benoit, Humility and Loti, a big fellow named Jiacomo (Andrew Shaw), who hails from nobody knows where and speaks a language no one understands, and a British stowaway, the crew of the Nautilus are all people of color — South Asian, Asian, Middle Eastern, African or Pacific Islander. Few are really developed as characters, but the actors give them life, and the supporting players carry the comedy, of which there's a good deal. One episode inverts the tired old scenario in which white explorers are threatened with death by dark-skinned natives; here, the captors are Nordic warrior women. The show is anticolonial and anti-imperialist in a way that 'Star Wars' taught audiences to recognize, if not necessarily recognize in the world around them, and anticapitalist in a way that movies have most always been. (The final episode, which has a financial theme, is titled 'Too Big to Fail.' It is quite absurd.) It can be slow at times, which is not inappropriate to a show that takes place largely underwater. But that its structure is essentially episodic keeps 'Nautilus' colorful and more interesting than if it were simply stretched on the rack of a long arc across its 10 episodes. It's a lot like (pre-streaming) 'Star Trek,' which is, after all, a naval metaphor, its crew sailing through a hostile environment encountering a variety of monsters and cultures week to week; indeed, there are some similar storylines: the crew infected by a mystery spore, the ship threatened by tiny beasties and giant monsters, encounters with a tinpot dictator and semimythological figures — all the while being pursued by a Klingon Bird of Prey, sorry, a giant metal warship. The greatest hits of underwater adventuring (some from Verne's novel) are covered: volcanoes, giant squid, giant eel, engine trouble, running out of air and the ruins of a lost civilization (Is it Atlantis? Benoit hopes so). Less common: a cricket match on the ice. Apart from a pod of whales outside the window (and, later, a whale rescue), not a lot of time is devoted to the wonders of the sea — the special effects budget, which has in other respects been spent lavishly, apparently had no room left for schools of fish. But these submariners have other things on their minds. The odds of a second season, says my cloudy crystal ball, are limited, so you may have to accommodate a few minor cliffhangers if you decide to watch. I did not at all regret the time I spent here, even though I sometimes had no idea what was going on or found it ridiculous when I did, as there was usually some stimulating activity or bit of scenery or detail of steampunk design to enjoy. I mean, I watched an episode of 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' recently, a 1960s submarine series, in which guest star John Cassavetes created a superbomb that could destroy three-quarters of the world, and almost nothing in it made any sense at all, including the presence of John Cassavetes. 'Nautilus' is actually good.
Extra.ie
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
JJ's Eurovision trophy didn't survive the celebration
Eurovision winner JJ has joined the list of artists who have broken the iconic trophy with former Ireland representatives Jedward saying the act is now a 'tradition.' The 24-year-old singer, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, won the 2025 edition of the competition which was held in Basel, Switzerland last month. JJ represented his native of Austria with the song, Wasted Love, and expressed his love for Europe following his win. Eurovision winner JJ has joined the list of artists who have broken the iconic trophy with former Ireland representatives Jedward saying the act is now a 'tradition.' Pic:Over the weekend, JJ took to video-sharing app TikTok to confirm the unthinkable had happened… the glass microphone had broken. The singer captioned the video, which saw him show the trophy in two pieces, 'Everyone: Nemo broke their trophy, you better be careful with it.' JJ used the viral Surprise Surprise audio, which hears Cilla Black singing the theme tune to her famed British reality show of the same name. @johannesjjpietsch guys, my suitcase came back broken 😭 therefore everything inside my suitcase was broken too… dw we're getting it fixed 😝 #eurovision #wastedlove #trophy ♬ Surprise Surprise – I Green Screen Things Sharing further context, JJ said: 'Guys, my suitcase came back broken therefore everything inside my suitcase was broken too… dw [don't worry] we're getting it fixed.' The most generated more than half a million likes with many taking to the comments with many wondering why the trophy was so fragile. One wondered: 'I think this should be a sign for them to make the trophy hold better, it's iconic but breaks easily apparently.' Last year, the Eurovision trophy also broke with celebrations from Nemo getting too carried away as the trophy 'shattered' when they were putting it down. Pic: SPA/dana press/REX/Shutterstock Another made a play on the singers' songs saying Nemo 'broke the trophy,' while JJ 'wasted' it — Nemo won with their song Broke The Code last year. Two-time Irish Eurovision representatives Jedward added: 'It's a tradition now.' Last year, the Eurovision trophy also broke with celebrations from Nemo getting too carried away as the trophy 'shattered' when they were putting it down. The artist even sustained cuts to the thumb following the break, which happened directly after they were crowned Eurovision 2024 winners. It's not the first (or second) time a Eurovision trophy has broke — and likely won't be the last either! Other unfortunate winners include, but are not limited to, Netherlands' Duncan Laurence, the 2019 winner as well as Norway's Alexander Rybak, who won in 2009.
Business Wire
23-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Banking on Inclusion: CI&T and Project Nemo Redefine Financial Access
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CI&T, an AI and tech acceleration partner, has today announced Nemo, Art of the Possible — a groundbreaking prototype of a financial app created in collaboration with Project Nemo, the not-for-profit grassroots initiative driving to improve disability inclusion in the fintech and financial services industries. Nemo was designed to support any adult with a learning disability in managing their finances more independently and safely. The prototype is a direct response to the Project Nemo report, S afe Spending for Adults with a Learning Disability, published earlier in June, developed by Firefish, sponsored by Nationwide and commissioned by Project Nemo, with support from Mencap and Dosh. The report exposed a stark reality: 38% of people with learning disabilities need ongoing help with everyday spending, and 32% do not have a bank account in their own name. It also highlighted how complex banking processes, inaccessible tools, and a lack of personalised support leave many financially excluded and at risk. CI&T's team engaged directly with individuals with lived experience — people with learning disabilities, carers, and accessibility experts — to design an app that addresses these challenges head-on. For the first time, this community has had a direct voice at the design table—an opportunity to share their needs and perspectives with the financial services industry. This marks a significant shift from the past, when individuals with learning disabilities had little choice but to accept what was offered. Now, their input provides valuable, practical insights that can help shape more inclusive and responsive banking services. In only six weeks, CI&T created Nemo, leveraging CI&T's enterprise-ready AI platform CI&T FLOW. Built with accessibility and ease of use as core principles, Nemo is a highly adaptive, inclusive digital product that empowers users to take control of their financial lives, while still allowing for trusted support where needed. While primarily designed for adults with learning disabilities, its advanced features and versatile configurability also significantly benefit neurodiverse individuals and anyone seeking greater confidence and support in managing their finances. Some of these features include: Supported decision-making: Users maintain complete control of their accounts; supporters can view and offer encouragement, but never act without explicit permission. Personalised onboarding: The app adapts to each user's confidence, habits, and accessibility needs. Calm mode: Reduces sensory overload and simplifies the interface during stressful moments. Emergency pot: A protected fund for unexpected needs, with optional spending locks and supporter assistance. Supporter Oversight: Trusted third parties receive real-time alerts and offer support while users remain in control. Learning over time: The app evolves with users, gradually unlocking more features as confidence grows. 'The path to true innovation is paved with diversity, accessibility, and inclusion," said Solange Sobral, EVP & Partner at CI&T. "This project truly reflects the Art of the Possible, and we hope it serves as a catalyst for financial institutions to lead the way in evolving digital products to be more inclusive. We're proud to partner with Project Nemo to build a solution that gives individuals with learning disabilities greater financial autonomy." "I'm incredibly thankful to the CI&T team for not only pulling this together so quickly, but also with such remarkable care, attention, and quality. This combination is rare and a true testament to a team and culture that performs exceptionally while engaging thoughtfully through the entire process. Seeing something so powerful created, something the community can now truly touch and interact with, is a profound way of giving voice to their needs." said Joanne Dewar, Founder of Project Nemo. Some of the individuals with firsthand experience who collaborated on the prototype's development included Kris Foster, Co-Founder of Project Nemo and George Webster, a BAFTA-winning actor and presenter known from CBeebies and Mencap. Webster is featured in the prototype and presents in-app video explanations, such as for Terms and Conditions, to make them easier to understand. The app is not only a practical tool, but also a statement of intent. It demonstrates how the financial sector can and should evolve to serve everyone, not just those who fit the standard mould. It also shows that inclusive innovation doesn't require compromise, only the will to involve those most affected from the start. The launch marks a milestone in the movement for financial accessibility, a practical, purpose-driven solution that turns research into action and empowers a community that has waited too long to be included. With this launch, CI&T and Project Nemo are driving toward a more equitable financial future where independence and inclusion are within reach for everyone. About CI&T CI&T is an AI and tech acceleration partner. We help businesses navigate the complex, changing technological European landscape to unlock real, measurable impact with digital-first solutions. CI&T brings a 30-year track record of helping clients deliver accelerated impact through tech-integrated business solutions, with deep expertise across AI, strategy, customer experience, software development, cloud services, data and more. As one of the world's first digital native companies, innovation is in our DNA, helping us empower clients to win by embedding digital maturity into the heart of their operations. With over 7,400 employees across 10 countries, we combine the expertise of a global business with an entrepreneurial mindset to drive transformation at scale and turn strategy into action. Project Nemo is a catalyst for change. A grassroots, not-for-profit campaign accelerating disability inclusion within fintech, led by Joanne Dewar, industry champion and former fintech CEO. The initiative helps the industry break down barriers to building inclusive products, services, and workplaces. Through shared knowledge, insights, and experiences from disability experts and community champions, Project Nemo highlights existing tools and resources to support fintechs in making meaningful change.
Daily Mirror
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I got the surprise of my life after throwing empty bottle into sea decades ago'
When Alaina Beresford was 12, she committed her message to the sea in an empty bottle of Moray Cup fizzy pop and now decades later she has received the surprise of her life When Alaina Beresford chucked a message in a bottle into the sea aged just 12, she though little of it. But she was staggered this week - 31 years on - to received a postcard explaining her old message had been found. It washed up nearly 725 miles away on a beach in Norway and was eventually discovered this week by Pia Brodtmann, who was volunteering with a charity on the sand. The 27-year-old woman replied, sending a postcard alongside a montage of fascinating photographs. These include pictures of the message in a bottle, the boat Pia is living on (called the Nemo), and the area she's working in. Amazed to see her note had been discovered and was still legible, Alaina, 43, said: "When I went and checked my mail and thought 'what's this, a postcard?' - not something you see a lot - and when I turned it over it had my name on it. "The message from Pia said she'd found my message in a bottle near on a tiny island called Lisshelløya near Vega in Norway. She's there working as a volunteer doing beach cleaning with a charity called In the Same Boat for four months. The postcard was a wonderful, a montage of photos showing my message in a bottle, the boat she's on, the Nemo, and the area she's working in." Alaina, from from Portknockie, Moray, now intends to keep in touch with Pia on Facebook. She continued: "I was just so shocked that somebody had found the message I sent all those years ago. It was amazing that my note was still perfectly legible - even the old Moray Cup bottle was in good shape! "As far as I can remember we were doing a project on water with our P7 teacher Ann Bruce and part of that was doing a message in a bottle. I think her husband was a fisherman and he threw the bottle into the sea when he was out with the boat." Alaina added that she would love to get in touch with her former teacher but does not have an address or contact details. READ MORE: Prestwick Beach horror find as leg still wearing shoe and sock washes ashore For Pia herself, finding the bottle on Lisshelløya was something of a prophecy. She explained: "The day I found the bottle we cleaned two small exposed islands, Lisshelløya and Storhelløya, although we didn't finish Storhelløya. "I found the message between some rocks on Lisshelløya. I had already noticed before I picking it up, that the bottle wasn't broken or full of water like so many other bottles I had found that day. "It looked a bit different, probably because of the paper inside. When I picked it up and saw the folded paper with the little text 'To the finder" inside, I knew this one would be special. "It's kind of funny, though, because I said at the start of the clean up something like 'If we don't find a message in a bottle on this island, then I don't know where else we would'. "I said that because in just the first few minutes we had been finding almost only bottles and some fishing gear. I read the message during our lunch break with my crewmembers. "I wasn't too surprised that it had come all the way from Scotland because I have already found some stuff from Scotland before, but I felt really happy about the little message, especially because the address was still readable. I was just curious when it had been written. Writing a reply was never in doubt for Pia. She continued: "I thought Alaina would be really happy to know that her bottle had been found. She wrote in her note that she wanted to know who found it and where exactly it was found. "I wanted to give her this information and make her day special, like she made my day special. Also I just like the idea of people randomly getting in touch this way. And maybe I was hoping for a pen pal across borders, because I enjoy the old ways of communicating like postcards and letters. "Everyone is happy if there is something unexpectedly nice in the mail, while getting something digital via WhatsApp is less special and it can stress you out. "When Alaina told me how old the message was, I almost freaked out. The idea that this bottle had been out there, either in the ocean or lying on the island, for over 30 years is just really crazy. "It looked like it had been thrown in the sea something between some months and five years ago. The first thing I said after reading Alaina's replay was something like 'Wow, what were the chances that she still lives in that house?!', but after she sent me some pictures from the coastline literally right in front of her home, I could totally understand why she is still living there. It's just beautiful." Pia has been with the Norwegian In the Same Boat project since April this year and will remain with them until the end of July. Having recently finished her bachelor's degree she wanted to travel around Europe and improve her English. A love of the rugged Scandinavian landscape and a drive to do something to help the planet drew her to the project, which aims to fight marine pollution - especially plastic - along the Norwegian coastline. Pia added: "The main method In the Same Boat uses to fight marine litter, besides raising awareness, is beach cleaning, but 'beach' in Norway isn't really the right word. "Norway's coastline is mostly rocky, wild and remote, not a sandy beach. So we hike, climb and sometimes even crawl over and under rocks to collect the plastic before it becomes microplastic. "Then we carry all the heavy bags of trash to the next spot, where the workboat can come and pick it up. The organisation is made up of employed skippers and volunteers. "We all live together on sailboats, which allows us to move directly into the polluted areas. That saves time, emissions and costs. Lisshelløya, the tiny island where I found the message in a bottle - is so tiny that you can probably walk around in just five minutes. we picked and removed 1020kg of marine litter. Even though the island probably hadn't been cleaned before, this amount of trash is just insane."
